“It’s over… I’m still using up way too much Magic Power.”
Shui Hua changed out of the Magical Girl outfit, trying to Transform back, but her body only flickered with a faint blue light and didn’t revert.
This had always been her old problem; when her Magic Power reserves were low, it was easy to get stuck unable to Transform back.
Previously, Shui Hua had looked this up and found the explanation that a Magical Girl’s Transformation was, in essence, a type of magic.
Because an ordinary human body couldn’t generate Magic Power, to prevent situations where, after reverting, there wasn’t enough Magic Power to Transform back into a Magical Girl, this restriction was put in place.
It sounded reasonable, but the problem was…
“Other people’s threshold is about 5%. Why is mine 25%?”
Shui Hua had privately asked other Magical Girls in the Bureau; their numbers were all far lower than hers.
The conclusion was obvious: it wasn’t a problem with the mechanism—her own blue bar was just way too short.
Plus, since the Magic Restoration Mechanism worked by percentage, and took about a day to recover fully from zero, having a short blue bar offered no advantage in recovery speed.
Counting her current remaining Magic Power, she needed four hours to save up enough to dispel the Transformation.
There was no way she’d make it back before the Dormitory curfew.
Going back to the Dormitory was out… but that was fine; it was the weekend after all.
She could just come up with an excuse about spending the night out and no one would care.
“So where should I go tonight…”
Shui Hua didn’t have her Identity Card in her Magical Girl form, so she couldn’t stay at a hotel.
She could go back to the Magical Girl Division to sleep on a Chair, but that was a terrible experience, to be reserved for emergencies only.
“Forget it, I’ll just stay at Sister’s place for the night.”
Since she was going to spend the night out, there was no need to conserve the last bit of Magic Power.
Shui Hua used what she had left to fly toward an old Old Town Village on the outskirts of Shui City.
She found the familiar tube-shaped apartment building, climbed in through a window in the stairwell, and walked straight to a certain door to knock.
“Sister, are you home?”
“Yu Hua?”
The door opened, and standing there was Yu Wenwen, whom Yu Hua called Sister.
Yu Wenwen was Yu Hua’s real older sister, working in a neighboring district.
Yu Hua often came over for free meals when he had time.
“Why did you come over like this?”
She wore a gray short-sleeved shirt and jeans, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail, giving off a vibe of competence mixed with a hint of exhaustion, like a capable but somewhat jaded woman.
Yu Wenwen was also familiar with Shui Hua’s current form.
The story started when Yu Hua once came over for dinner and Yu Wenwen insisted on a drinking contest.
Yu Hua couldn’t resist her teasing and agreed.
After just two drinks, he was out cold.
Drunk, Yu Hua complained about work and unconsciously Transformed into the Magical Girl, scaring Yu Wenwen so much she spit out her drink.
Once he became a Magical Girl, the alcohol was magically purged, and things got awkward.
Faced with family, Yu Hua could only confess.
Yu Wenwen accepted it readily and even encouraged her to pursue the path of heroism.
Later, she became Shui Hua’s emergency contact.
“I’m out of Magic Power, so I can’t Transform back,” Shui Hua explained helplessly.
“Crashing at my place again?”
Yu Wenwen asked knowingly.
“Yeah…”
Shui Hua mumbled, bent down to take off her blue short boots, and tossed the bag with her dress onto the shoe rack before walking in wearing just white over-knee socks.
Yu Wenwen’s place was fully equipped but extremely cramped.
A foldable table covered with small dishes nearly filled the entire living room.
On it were a plate of peanuts, some stir-fried meat, and a dish of sautéed lettuce, with two empty beer cans nearby.
With no dining table, they had to eat at the small living room table.
“Haven’t had dinner yet, perfect timing to mooch off you…”
Shui Hua sat down by the table, stomach growling.
Staying in Magical Girl form for long made her hungry, so she needed to eat.
“Too bad,” Yu Wenwen pointed to her empty bowl, “I just wanted a drink tonight, didn’t cook. If you’re really hungry, there are some small buns in the cupboard—make do with those.”
Shui Hua nodded.
Soon, she was handed a small bun by Yu Wenwen, and started nibbling it like a hamster.
The sisters began to chat.
“By the way, Sister, got any job recommendations? I’ve saved up enough for the penalty fee. If I find a decent job, I’ll quit.”
“Don’t,” Yu Wenwen cracked open another beer from the fridge and took a swig.
“This job’s stable and pays okay, plus you seem to enjoy it…”
Her eyes meaningfully flicked to the bag on the shoe rack.
“You’ve even bought girls’ clothes.”
“That was mission gear. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Sigh, I used to like wearing those, too. But now that I’m older, no matter what I wear, it never feels youthful again…”
Yu Wenwen glanced at her wardrobe, then back at Shui Hua, as if imagining dressing her up.
“Can you not look at me like that? I’m not inheriting your dreams.”
Yu Wenwen grabbed the peanut plate and chewed a few as if it were a meal, mumbling, “Besides… mmph, being a Magical Girl makes dating convenient, too. So many cute girls around—when are you bringing one home for me to see?”
“We only have two in our division: one in high school, one in middle school, both underage… How could I even…?”
“Aren’t you a kid yourself? Why is it okay for grad students to date undergrads, but not for undergrads and high schoolers?”
“It’s different! They’re not even adults!”
Shui Hua crossed her arms in front of her chest in a big X, refusing to lower her standards for Yu Wenwen.
“And didn’t you save that Liu Jin girl this afternoon? She’s got to be an adult, right? Why not take the chance?”
“Liu Jin is even more impossible, she’s…”
Shui Hua stopped herself in time; even to her sister, she couldn’t let that secret slip.
“Wait, hold on—where did you see that I saved her?”
“Here,” Yu Wenwen picked up her phone and expertly opened a forum app.
Right at the top of the trending list:
“Liu Jin in danger and injured, mysterious Blue-haired Girl rushes to her aid.”
The post had an official battle photographer’s picture: the background was a ravaged street, Liu Jin collapsed on the ground, burned and battered, with the Blue-haired Girl kneeling at her side, hands glowing faint blue, anxiously casting healing magic.
There was even a caption below:
“Reportedly, this heroic Blue-haired Girl is an On-Duty Magical Girl from the Supernatural Department Magical Girl Administration Bureau Shui City Dongjiang District Branch, codename ‘Shui Hua.’ During this incident, Comrade Shui Hua, though off duty, upheld her responsibilities, leaping into action at the critical moment and successfully safeguarding the S-Class Hero ‘Liu Jin,’ demonstrating…”
Shui Hua’s eyes widened instantly, and the bun in her mouth nearly choked her.
“What the—? I’ve been doxxed!”